Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I
The present invention relates to a reclosable sales
packing of the bucket or jug type, comprising a plastic
container, the mouth edge portion of which is provided
with an upper annular groove between an inner mouth
flange and an outer mouth flange, and a lid having a
depending edge flange, which is received in said edge
groove so as to engage underneath an annular locking
nose portion on the interior side of the outer mouth
flange of the container and be inwardly supported
by the exterior side of the inner mouth flange.
A packing of this type is known from DK-C-127.872,
according to which the upper mouth portion of the
container is provided with an annular outer flange
portion as projecting, cross sectionally, outwardly
and upwardly and having at its upper edge an inwardly
and upwardly projecting locking nose portion, which
cooperates with the top edge of the outer flange
portion of a generally V-shaped locking flange as
depending from the edge of the lid, while the innermost
side of the V-shaped lid flange is radially inwardly
supported against a smooth outside of the innermost
mouth flange portion of the container. The top edge
of the outer mouth flange portion can be forced
resiliently outwardly sufficiently for releasing its
locking engagement with the outer flange portion of the
depending lid flange, thereafter the lid can be drawn
off the container. With such a design a reasonably good
locking of the lid is achievable without the lid being
too difficult to remove or recluse.
However, a still better locking of the lid would
be desirable, particularly in case of liquid filled
containers, because in handling and shipping the non-
rigid packings may be exposed to side pressures and
impacts giving rise to high internal pressures and
deformations of the engagement area between the
container and the lid. It has already been proposed to
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effect an almost complete looking of the lid, e.g. with the use
of on additional looking nose eng~gel-1ent between the Inside of
the depending lid flange and the outside of the Inner mouth
flange portion of the container, but l-t alas been an associated
disadvantage that the lid should then be opened by gutting or
rupturing Inside the looking edge thereof, whereby the pecking Is
not of the reclosable type, at toast no-t reclosable Walt the same
lid.
The present Invention provides a pickling of the type
first referred to, which Is Improved with respect to the looking
of the lid and yet still easy to open and recluse.
According to the present Invention there Is provided a
sales pecking of the bucket or Jut type, comprising a plastic
container, the mouth edge portion of which is provided with an
upper annular groove between an Inner mouth flange and an outer
mouth flange, and a lid having a depending edge flange, which Is
received In said edge groove so as to engage underneath an annum
far looking nose portion of the Interior side of the outer mouth flange of the container and be Inwardly supported by the exterior
side of the Inner mouth flange, characterized In that additional
cooperating looking nose means are provided on the outside of the
Inner mouth flange of the container and on the Inside of the
depending edge flange of the lid, respectively and that the
outer mouth flange of the container Is designed so as to be out-
warmly and downwardly foldable Into a swung down position, In
which a local, radially Inwardly directed pressure thereon will
result In the Inner mouth flange of the container being
resiliently Inwardly displaced so as to thereby get released from
Its looking nose engagement with the edge flange of the lid. The
Invention Is based on the recognition that the use of an addle
tonal looking engagement along the outside of the Inner mouth
flange of the container will greatly contribute to the looking of
the lid without making the lid difficult to remove, because when
the outer mouth flange of the container Is outwardly and down-
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wnrdly foldnblc It Is thereafter I.e. Upon such folding, open-
able to transfer a local, Inwardly directed pressure to the Inner
mouth flange of the container, whereby, due to the resiliency of
the plastic container wall, the relevant Inner mouth flange port
lion will be displaced Inwardly and thus be eased out of Itslocklng engagement with the Inner locking nose portion of the
depending lid flange.
The folding down of the outer mouth flange of the con-
tanner can be effected locally with a finger lip, which Is also
used for then exerting a radially Inwardly directed pressure on
the folded down mouth flange, hereby effecting the sand release
of the Interior looking engagement Just Inside the position of
the finger lip. In this position the finger lip will
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also be in engagement with the outer edge of the lid
as unlocked and exposed by the folding down of the
outer mouth flange, and since the relevant lid edge
area is now unlocked at both sides of the depending
lid flange it will be sufficient to flit the finger
tip for easily lifting up the lid edge from the
engagement area. Once a local lid edge area has thus
been lifted from its engagement with the locking mouth
groove of the container the remainder of the lid
periphery is easy to release by pulling up the lid
from the already released portion thereof.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the
outer mouth flange of the container is designed so
as to be foldable over an integral annular hinge
portion of reduced material thickness, such that the
flange is self-stabilized in its folded down position.
The flange is easily pressed down into this position
all the way around the container mouth, thereafter
the flange is generally inoperative. The lid is then
easily releasable, both because its outer edge can
be gripped locally and tilted out of its locking
engagement with the inner mouth flange of the container
and because it can be locally released from this
engagement by the user exerting a radially inwardly
directed pressure generally on an upper side wall
portion of the container so as to cause an inward
displacement, locally, of the inner mouth flange portion
of the container in order to release the interior
locking engagement.
In the following the invention is described in
more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of the upper left
corner of a packing according to the invention,
Fig. 2 is a similar view upon folding down of the
outer mouth flange of the container,
Fig. 3 is a side view of the top portion of the
ho or j
packing, during opening thereof,
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, corresponding to
Fig. 1, of a modified package, and
Fig. 5 is a corresponding view of further modified
packings and lids as shown in a piled configuration.
In Fig. 1 is shown the upper left corner of a
packing comprising a bucket or jug shaped container 2
of plastic as closed by a lid 4 also of plastic. The
container 2 has an upper and inner mouth flange portion
6, the top end of which has an outwardly projecting nose
portion 8. The mouth flange portion 6 is an upper
continuation of a side wall 10 of the container 2, and
on the outside thereof is provided an outwardly directed
flange portion 12, which continues, through an annular
hinge area 14 of reduced material thickness, in an
upwardly projecting outer mouth flange portion 16 the
top end portion of which, designated 18, is provided
with an inwardly protruding nose portion 20. Thus,
between the inner and the outer mouth flanges 6 and I
respectively, is defined an upwardly open groove 22 in
the upper edge portion of the container 2.
The lid 4 has a central plate portion 24 which, near
the edge of the lid, has an upstanding flange portion 26
us continuing in an upper horizontal portion 28
associated with an outer, depending flange 30 of the
lid 4. The depending flange 30 has an inner nose portion
32 engaging underneath the nose 8 of the inner mouth
flange 6 of the container and an outer nose portion 34
engaging underneath the nose 20 of the outer mouth
flange 16. The edge flange 30 is downwardly pointed and
is provided with an upwardly open, narrow groove 36,
which projects downwardly beyond the levels of the lid
noses 32 and 34.
Due to the pointed configuration of the lid flange
I and the resiliency of the plastic material the lid
4 is easily forced down into its closed position on the
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container 2, and with the bilateral locking of the lid
flange 30 the lid will be widely secured against
unintended opening by internal or external forces.
For opening the container it is sufficient to
push downwardly on the upper edge portion 1& of the
outer mouth flange 12,16 by means of a fingertip,
whereby the upper flange portion 16 will initially
disengage the locking nose 34 and then pivot about
the hinge area 14 to the position shown in Fig. 2, then
to exert an inward side pressure on the folded down
flange portion 16 as indicated by an arrow A, whereby
the locking engagement between the inner locking noses
8 and 32 will get released, and thereafter or almost
at the same time to lift the finger tip as already
engaging the outer edge of the lid (see Fig. 2),
whereby the relevant lid portion is lifted beyond the
locking level of the inner locking nose 8. In practice,
due to its resiliency, the lid portion will almost
by itself, upon its release, seek to apposition in which
the lower edge of the lid flange 30 rides on the top
edge of the inner mouth flange 6, as also illustrated
in Fig. 3. the raised lid edge portion is now easily
grasped and pulled further upwardly, whereby the
remainder of the lid edge is willingly released as by
zip lock action.
Though it would Abe acceptable that the outer
flange portion 16 would automatically return into its
initial position when released by the fingertip, it
is nevertheless highly advantageous that this flange
portion will, for obvious reasons, be self holding in
its folded down position. It is easy to fold down all
the way round, before or after removal of the lid, and
thereafter the lid is conveniently usable for simple
reclosing of the container with the aid of the inner
locking nose engagement 8,32. It will of course also
be possible to retook the lid, simply by folding the
6 ~,r~lfC Al
outer flange portion 16 up into its initial position.
It should be mentioned that a considerable inwardly
directed pressure on the container wall will be
automatically created by the folding of the outer
flange portion 16, because of the associated increase
of the radius of the outermost flange portion 18,20 and
the corresponding peripheral stretching of the material,
particularly when the flange portion passes through a
horizontal position in level with the hinge portion 14.
This side pressure may be more than enough to cause the
described disengagement between the locking noses 8
and 32, and especially for large size packings with a
heavier design of the lid locking system it would be
possible to avoid the complete down folding of the flange
16, as there would be sufficient space to enable the
lid edge to be gripped and lifted already by a pressing
down of the flange 16 to adjacent its said horizontal
position.
In heavy designs the flange 16 may be difficult to
fold out, and it will facilitate the folding if at one
or more places the flange I is provided with a vertical
split as indicated at 38 in Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment, particularly
with a modified design of the lid. However, the main
portions of Figs. 1-3 are refound in Fix. 4 and
designated by the same reference numerals. An exertion
is the lid groove 36, which is in Fig. 4 substituted by
a downwardly open groove 40. The inner mouth flange 6
has an upper extension 42, which seals against a wall
portion of a groove 44 between the lid portions 30 and
26. This engagement does not prevent the release of the
locking engagement between the inner noses 8 and 32 by
the described side pressure on an underlying part of
the container wall, because the flange 6 will be able
to tilt about its top end to allow for retraction of
the locking nose 8 anyway.
p Roy r
In Fig. the hinge area I is located at the
bottom of an outer, wide recess I and at some or many
places along this annular recess is provided a
thin walled leaf member 4~3 with vertical orientation
and generally filling out the cross section of the
recess 46. These leaf of fin members as provided
integrally with the outer mouth flange 12,14,16 will
get severely damaged or deformed by the folding out or
down of the flange portion 16, such that it can be
visually inspected whether or not the pacing has been
previously opened. This will amount to a so-called
security seal, since the packing is at least quite
difficult to open without folding the flange portion
16 outwardly.
Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment which is only
slightly different from Fig. 1-3, and again similar
reference numerals are used for similar parts. Fig. 5
shows three piled containers, of which the uppermost
is closed by a lid, on which is piled another lid
whereby also piling of containers and lids is
illustrated. Fig. 5 shows one major modification, viz.
the outer top edge corner of the lid being provided
with a radially outwardly projecting flange 50 of a very
small thickness. In use, when the container is closed
in a filling plant, the flange 50 will be located just
on the top of the outer mouth flange 16 of the container
as a final closing action the flange 50 is joined with
this top edge by welding, which can be done with a very
simple welding equipment. Hereby is provided a so-called
guarantee sealing, as the packing cannot be opened
without breaking the sealing flange. On the other hand,
the flange is very easy to break or cut for normal
opening. The flange 50 should not necessarily be fully
annular, as it may be sufficient to arrange for a number
of individual small width flange portions or sealing
tongues, e.g. at five or more places along the lid edge.
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A comparison between the two lids of Fig. 5 will
show that the grove is narrowed when the lid is
mounted on its container. Thus, the depending lid edge
flange 30 has a cross resiliency of its own, which is
believed to be important, in practice, for a good
locking and sealing as well as for tolerance adaption.
